Hints & Tips

How to attend the RVHEA Conference

For some, the conference can be overwhelming, with so many topics to choose from, a strange facility, and numerous vendors with so much curriculum. Following these tips will help to make the day more manageable and thus more enjoyable.

When you receive your schedule, sit down and mark the seminars you would like to attend.

Study the facility map and mark the locations where the seminars will take place.

Look for the volunteers wearing the bright vests and ask questions. They will be able to help you and point you in the right direction.

Kanata Baptist Church is an easy facility to find your way around. Take a few moments when you arrive to stroll around to get your bearings. It will save you time overall.

Feel free to approach keynote and seminar speakers. They are there to serve you and help you. Make use of the resources they bring – these are the tools they used to gain their wisdom!

If you haven’t a clue as to the identity of the exhibitors or nature of their products, that’s okay! Plan a route around the exhibit hall in between sessions or during shopping times. If you are not familiar with an exhibitor, ask for a piece of their literature as you may want to contact them later.

Talk to the exhibitor before purchasing materials. Ask if they home school and have used this product themselves. Was it developed for the home school program or for another venue? Don’t be afraid to talk to the other attendees at the booth who have previously used the material and are coming back for more. What do they like about the product – what do they dislike?

If you don’t feel you have had enough time to look at the materials you are interested in or that the vendor hall has been too busy, consider skipping a seminar and go “window” shopping. Although we encourage everyone to take in the wisdom and information the speakers have, sometimes missing a seminar and browsing while it is quieter will be like having your own personal seminar. Use this time to question the vendor about their products seeking some of their advice.

Don’t feel compelled to do all your buying on the spot. While we do encourage you to support our on-site exhibitors, you shouldn’t feel pressured into making a decision if you are not absolutely sure this is the best program for your home school. Avoid impulse or panic shopping. Your peace of mind is well worth the 10-15% extra you will pay in shipping later.

If you spend a lot of time with a vendor asking questions about his product, and receive personal instruction on its methodology and use, please purchase your materials from that exhibitor rather than through a big mail order house or curriculum discounter. Our exhibitors are a major contributing factor that complements this conference, so let’s encourage them and appreciate them with our business!